1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to information signal processing apparatuses and information signal processing methods for appropriately playing desired scenes from among recorded broadcast programs, for example, when writing and reading broadcast programs from information signal recording media such as magnetic disks and magnetic tapes.
2. Description of the Related Art
Due to an increase in the recording capacity and a decrease in the price of recording media such as magnetic disks, users often record various broadcast programs for long periods of time. Consequently, a problem arises in that it takes a significant amount of time to play the program.
Methods for minimizing playback time have been proposed. For example, commercials can be detected and skipped, the audio level detected, and portions with low audio levels skipped. A predetermined period of time can simply be skipped and a predetermined section played, and this operation performed repetitively to minimize the playback time.
Alternatively, a scene change can be detected, or sections with large audio levels be detected as climax scenes and preferentially played.
The above-described conventional methods use predetermined detection systems or predetermined skipping systems, and they do not take into consideration the content of the program to be played. Accordingly, scenes which the user does not want to see may be played, or sections that the user wants to see may be skipped or jumped.
When a digest playback of a program such as a news report program in which the same news anchor appears and reads different news articles is performed at substantially regular intervals, the result does not seem to be a digest of the program since there are not great variations in image scenes, although there are variations in sound. As a result, a viewer may feel that the playback is merely a repetition of similar scenes and may not be able to fully understand the contents.
In contrast, when a digest of a music program in which many singers appear is played so that digest playback sections are at approximately regular intervals, a viewer may enjoy the digest playback which is performed in this manner.
In order to edit a music program or to rewind and play the introduction of a song, it may be more time-efficient to play a digest of a program at regular intervals.
There has been no conventional technology which can efficiently control a digest playback in accordance with the contents of a program.